Shredded Szechuan Beef with Carrots and Chilli

This easy stir-fry recipe takes a classic Peking dish and mixes it with the tangy, lemon-pepper flavor of the Szechuan peppercorns, resulting in a wonderful blend of deliciously subtle flavors. This recipe calls for less fat than the original recipe from Peking, as none of the ingredients are deep fried. The dish goes well with boiled rice or noodles, and a chilled dry white wine, or cold beer such as Japanese Sapporo or Italian Peroni (well, this is a fusion site!).

Ingredients

3/4 pound round or fillet steak, cut into thin strips, 2 1/2 inches long
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
2-3 red and green fresh chilies, deseeded and sliced
1 small piece of ginger, cut into slices
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, pan roasted and crushed
3/4 pound carrots, cut into thin strips, 2 1/2 inches long
2 teaspoons dry sherry 2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 chopped scallions to garnish

Recipe
1. Put the beef strips in a bowl and mix in the cornstarch.

2. Heat the oil in a wok until piping hot. Add the beef and fry for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm.


3. Add the garlic and chilies to the pan and stir-fry for a few seconds.

4. Toss in the carrots and ginger, sherry and soy sauce, and stir fry for another minute.

5. Add the beef and the Szechuan peppercorns to the carrot mixture and cook for another minute, adding more soy sauce if needed.

6. Serve garnished with the scallions with rice or noodles.